Tuesday, May 12, 2015

My resources for baby sewing

Carly, of Good Earth Quilting, asked if I could do a post on supplies for my box of baby stuff (see the previous post.) My son Mark, and his wife, were the recipients of the first box that I put together and he told his sister that he was skeptical at first (before his twin girls were born) whether the things I made would be of use but he just said a couple of days ago that "it ALL CAME IN HANDY!!!!"

So, here's the list (I have no affiliation to any of these links - I just research a lot):
The cross stitched card was a kit I got years and years ago. If you want the pattern, I can send it to you - just email me.

The donut, or nursing pillow was a Simplicity pattern #2338 but it's out of print now.
I made it out of flannel (different on both sides) but because flannel is not that dense or stable, I backed it (or lined it) with broadcloth. This one is stuffed pretty tightly. I made one for my eldest daughter when she was expecting her first baby. Here's a free online pattern. Here's another. And just one more here.

The nursing cover is so easy and there are so many free tutorials online. You just have to buy a bit of boning (a half yard or metre.) Maili wanted muted fabric - not anything bright and I just happened to have some navy blue polyester that hung well and was heavy enough not to need a lining. I didn't want to have to use two pieces of fabric since the measurement is about 28" X 38".
Here's a few freebies.

It was the second and third links that I used and went with D-rings. I may have adjusted the measurements a bit and I encased the boning in a seam and sewed the straps as in the third link.

The flannel blankets were just yardage that I cut and hemmed on a regular sewing machine. I think these may each be 1.5 metres cut in half so I got two blankets out of one piece. You can make them any size you want but the receiving blankets you buy that are 30" X 30" are just a bit too small. You can't really use that size to swaddle a newborn.

My daughter was going to buy some flannel washcloths and I said "Hold it, don't buy anything yet." I looked at the link she sent me and I think they were 8.5 inches square. I took 3 face cloths out of my cupboard and they were all different sizes. I have a 9.5" square so that's what I used to cut up some small pieces of flannel that I have. This time I rounded the corners because it made serging the edges much easier.

Again, there are a lot of free patterns out there for baby blankets, hats, sweaters and booties. For the hats that I make, I use this site:

http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/baby-hats-booties.html
You can check out www.ravelry.com or the yarn manufacturers for other free patterns.

I'm not into spending a lot of time cutting out and sewing up 'fitted' burp cloths. Seriously, does it matter if the burp cloth has a piece cut out of it so it fits on your shoulder? Flannel is usually about 40-44 inches wide these days, just like regular fabric. I cut it in half and cut the width about 10-11 inches wide. I purchased some inexpensive bath towels to cut up since it was cheaper than buying terrycloth fabric. I got four pieces of terrycloth out of each towel to line the flannel. Not all of these burp cloths are lined with terry cloth. I could have serged them but I'm cheap and serging takes up a lot of thread. Besides, I found that they hold their shape better if they are made pillowcase or envelope style and turned inside out. I then top stitched the ones with towelling. The ones not lined, I just hemmed and straight stitched. Easy peasy. As you can see from the photo above, I didn't bother to hem the edge that had a selvage. Why make more work for myself - it didn't need it.

These change pads were just fabric I purchased from my local Fabricland. I cut it to about 19"X27" and edged with purchased extra wide double fold bias binding. The fabric is needle punch quilted and is plastic/vinyl on both sides.

This is just a square of fabric with backing and flat batting - you can make it any size you want. Quilt the layers any way you want. I think this one started out as a 12" square. Here's the tutorial.

Here's the tutorial for this one. Again, you can make it any size you want.

I got the link from my online friend, Anneliese, who is the Stitching Lady. Many thanks Anneliese.

This post shows the first time I actually put together a baby package. It seems that my list for baby sewing increases each time a new 'first' baby is born.

The rainbow blanket is just all garter stitch and the pattern is on the Lion Brand Yarn site.

9 comments:

so your daughter is pregnant and your son now has twin girls??? That is amazing.....I am over the moon for you. Your box of goodies is a wonderful idea....no grandchildren here yet.....I live in hope....

Wow, Dolores, some wonderful baby projects you made! And your daughter and SIL look so happy and suprised when opening the box!If ever my children become parents, I know where to look for patterns. Or ask (-:

Any day now, this is great that you have shared with us all the patterns and links, we can search, scroll, and spend ages looking, and here it all is. And to see them open the box, what excitement and joy.

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About me

Wife, mother, mother-in-law and proud grandmother to nine adorable little people. Besides quilting, I love to sew garments, cross stitch, embroider, crochet and knit.
My header photo of the Toronto sign in front of City Hall was taken by me in 2016.